Lieutenant Frederick William Torry 1911 - 1986

Lieutenant F W Torry 12th Battalion Northumberland Home Guard

Frederick Willaim Torry was born in Newcastle in 1911 and was the son of William Torry and the forner Lizzie Dent. He was educated at Bootham School, Armstrong college, Newcastle.

After college, where he studied electrical engineering, Fred joined CA Parsons and stayed there for his whole career, retiring around 1970. Amongst other tasks, he helped with the installation of turbines, where his patented method of pressure-pumped concrete supports considerably reduced installation time. At the end of his career he ran their Value Engineering department. In 1938 he married Vida E Greenwood in Chichester and after World War 2 they had three children.

In 1940 he lived at 15 Windsor Terrace, Jesmond. He joined No 3 Company Home Guard, based at the Northumberland Hussars Drill Hall, Newcastle, in 1940 and moved to Parson’s Home Guard Company in February 1941. He later joined the Royal Engineers, with whom he landed in Normandy four days after D-Day.  One of his areas of expertise was in mortars and the attached picture shows him demonstrating a 2” mortar, possibly one of his own designs, in April 1942.

He was a keen pianist and a member of the Magic Circle.

If you have any information on Frederick W Torry or anyone who served in the Northumberland Home Guard, Newcastle Battalions please contact ph@ccoynblhomeguard.co.uk